Nick Mensio

Football Daily Dose

Dose: Vick on Track for Week 8

Last week, Michael Vick said his hamstring pull was "worse than what I thought it was going to be." He practiced on a limited basis in the week leading up to this past Sunday’s game against the Cowboys before eventually being ruled out. Vick, dressed in street clothes, watched Nick Foles face-plant in his second start of the season. Foles was then concussed and the Eagles were forced to throw rookie Matt Barkley into the fire. Barkley had zero clue what he was doing and clearly isn’t ready.

Sunday night came along and Profootballtalk reported Vick could be ready for Week 8 against the Giants. Over the past few days, multiple news outlets have reported that Vick will indeed get the start under center this week. He took the first step in that process Tuesday by taking all of the first-team reps. Vick, however, did admit that he likely won’t be 100 percent for the divisional tilt.

“I can play if I'm 80 (percent),” Vick said. "It's progressed very quickly. It's gotten better each and every day. I just don't want to lose sight of what's gotten me to this point. I think I have to give it a go.”

The Eagles have nowhere else to turn. Foles is fully expected to be sidelined. Barkley will serve as the No. 2 quarterback. G.J. Kinne was signed to the practice squad as an extra arm. He spent the summer with the Eagles before being apart of final cuts. James Casey is the emergency quarterback.

Even at less than 100 percent, Vick is locked in as a fantasy QB1. He was a top-five quarterback before going down with the hamstring injury. Vick may not run as much Sunday, but he’s more than capable of lighting up a weak Giants secondary with his rocket arm. Vick was injured in the Week 5 matchup with the G-Men. He’s currently penciled in as Rotoworld’s No. 6 quarterback for Week 8.

Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $300,000 Fantasy Football league for Week 8. It's $25 to join and first prize is $25,000. Starts Sunday at 1pm ET. Here's the link.

News Nugget #2

Jermichael Finley was stretchered off the field with a neck injury in last Sunday’s win over the Browns after taking a hit from Tashaun Gipson. He spent the night in the intensive care unit at a local hospital before being released from the ICU on Monday evening. Finley has full feeling in his extremities and has officially been diagnosed with a bruised spinal cord. He’ll seek further medical opinions.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that Finley’s injury is not believed to be career-ending. But the Packers may place Finley on season-ending injured reserve at some point this week. Green Bay isn’t expected to find out Finley’s playing status for “weeks,” while coach Mike McCarthy previously said it was “premature” to put a timetable on it. It’s certainly a scary situation for a guy that already suffered a concussion less than one month ago. But it appears Finley may be able to play football again. That’s the furthest thing from his mind at the moment, and rightfully so.

The Packers will move forward with Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick at tight end. Quarless is mainly a blocker and Bostick has played all of 13 offensive snaps this season. Bostick has been on the radar for the past couple of seasons, though. He was a college wide receiver and basketball player. Bostick can jump out of the gym, but ideally he’d be taller than the 6-foot-3 that he is. Look for Green Bay to lean on Eddie Lacy and the running game a bit more and work it to Jordy Nelson through the air. James Jones, once he returns from a knee injury, and Jarrett Boykin will be the Nos. 2 and 3 receivers for the foreseeable future. Nelson will be a weekly WR1 play.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last Thursday that there was a “chance” Percy Harvin (hip surgery) could return for Monday night’s Week 8 game against the Rams. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora had a similar report on Sunday. On Monday, Harvin returned to practice. Then, on Tuesday evening, Profootballtalk reported that Harvin was still a candidate to be activated from reserve/PUP in time to suit up in St. Louis. We’d expect the Seahawks to be cautious with Harvin. They have three weeks to activate him. But if he’s 100 percent, then there’s no reason to hold him out. What it boils down to is that Harvin needs to be owned in all formats. He’d likely be on a snap count if he plays this week, but Harvin would be a dynamite borderline WR1 in PPR formats down the stretch.

Quarterback/Running Back Quick Slants

The Vikings will continue to roll with Josh Freeman as their starting quarterback in Week 8 against the Packers. … The Browns still have yet to decide on a Week 8 starting quarterback. … NFL.com’s Mike Silver reports there’s a real possibility the Bears let Jay Cutler walk in free agency after the season. He’d be the biggest name to hit the free-agency quarterback market since Peyton Manning. … Sam Bradford (torn ACL) was officially placed on injured reserve. The Rams signed Brady Quinn and Austin Davis as their Nos. 2 and 3 quarterbacks behind Kellen Clemens. … Doug Martin said his shoulder injury isn’t necessarily season-ending, and his range of motion has improved. He’s out for Week 8 at the very least. The Bucs and Martin are likely seeking more opinions on the shoulder. … Arian Foster (hamstring) expects to be ready for Week 9. The Texans are on their bye and won’t practice again until next week. … Jonathan Stewart (ankles) said Week 9 is realistic for his return. He won’t play this Thursday against the Bucs. … Coach Tom Coughlin said he has “no idea” if Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) will be ready for Week 8. Peyton Hillis admitted to having “jello legs” in Monday night’s win. He wasn’t even working out a week ago as a street free agent. …Darren McFadden (hamstring) is practicing.

Wide Receiver/Tight End Quick Slants

Larry Fitzgerald is expected to be given a rest day in practice Wednesday. Coach Bruce Arians said Fitzgerald played at about 80 percent in last Thursday night’s loss to Seattle. The extra time off has, according to Arians, done Fitzgerald a ton of good. … Reggie Wayne (torn ACL) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. … Hakeem Nicks underwent X-rays on his finger following Monday night’s win. He appeared to jam it on a slant pass that he dropped. It’s a non-issue. … Mike Williams (hamstring) was downgraded to a limited practice on Tuesday after practicing in full Monday. His status for Thursday night is up in the air. … Fred Davis hinted he’d be open to a trade out of Washington. He was a healthy scratch in Week 7. … Dennis Pitta (hip, short-term I.R.) is not expected to return before mid-to-late November. He may not even return to the field in 2013 at all. … The Lions released Tony Scheffler. It was a long time coming.

Last week, Michael Vick said his hamstring pull was "worse than what I thought it was going to be." He practiced on a limited basis in the week leading up to this past Sunday’s game against the Cowboys before eventually being ruled out. Vick, dressed in street clothes, watched Nick Foles face-plant in his second start of the season. Foles was then concussed and the Eagles were forced to throw rookie Matt Barkley into the fire. Barkley had zero clue what he was doing and clearly isn’t ready.

Sunday night came along and Profootballtalk reported Vick could be ready for Week 8 against the Giants. Over the past few days, multiple news outlets have reported that Vick will indeed get the start under center this week. He took the first step in that process Tuesday by taking all of the first-team reps. Vick, however, did admit that he likely won’t be 100 percent for the divisional tilt.

“I can play if I'm 80 (percent),” Vick said. "It's progressed very quickly. It's gotten better each and every day. I just don't want to lose sight of what's gotten me to this point. I think I have to give it a go.”

The Eagles have nowhere else to turn. Foles is fully expected to be sidelined. Barkley will serve as the No. 2 quarterback. G.J. Kinne was signed to the practice squad as an extra arm. He spent the summer with the Eagles before being apart of final cuts. James Casey is the emergency quarterback.

Even at less than 100 percent, Vick is locked in as a fantasy QB1. He was a top-five quarterback before going down with the hamstring injury. Vick may not run as much Sunday, but he’s more than capable of lighting up a weak Giants secondary with his rocket arm. Vick was injured in the Week 5 matchup with the G-Men. He’s currently penciled in as Rotoworld’s No. 6 quarterback for Week 8.

Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $300,000 Fantasy Football league for Week 8. It's $25 to join and first prize is $25,000. Starts Sunday at 1pm ET. Here's the link.

News Nugget #2

Jermichael Finley was stretchered off the field with a neck injury in last Sunday’s win over the Browns after taking a hit from Tashaun Gipson. He spent the night in the intensive care unit at a local hospital before being released from the ICU on Monday evening. Finley has full feeling in his extremities and has officially been diagnosed with a bruised spinal cord. He’ll seek further medical opinions.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that Finley’s injury is not believed to be career-ending. But the Packers may place Finley on season-ending injured reserve at some point this week. Green Bay isn’t expected to find out Finley’s playing status for “weeks,” while coach Mike McCarthy previously said it was “premature” to put a timetable on it. It’s certainly a scary situation for a guy that already suffered a concussion less than one month ago. But it appears Finley may be able to play football again. That’s the furthest thing from his mind at the moment, and rightfully so.

The Packers will move forward with Andrew Quarless and Brandon Bostick at tight end. Quarless is mainly a blocker and Bostick has played all of 13 offensive snaps this season. Bostick has been on the radar for the past couple of seasons, though. He was a college wide receiver and basketball player. Bostick can jump out of the gym, but ideally he’d be taller than the 6-foot-3 that he is. Look for Green Bay to lean on Eddie Lacy and the running game a bit more and work it to Jordy Nelson through the air. James Jones, once he returns from a knee injury, and Jarrett Boykin will be the Nos. 2 and 3 receivers for the foreseeable future. Nelson will be a weekly WR1 play.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last Thursday that there was a “chance” Percy Harvin (hip surgery) could return for Monday night’s Week 8 game against the Rams. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora had a similar report on Sunday. On Monday, Harvin returned to practice. Then, on Tuesday evening, Profootballtalk reported that Harvin was still a candidate to be activated from reserve/PUP in time to suit up in St. Louis. We’d expect the Seahawks to be cautious with Harvin. They have three weeks to activate him. But if he’s 100 percent, then there’s no reason to hold him out. What it boils down to is that Harvin needs to be owned in all formats. He’d likely be on a snap count if he plays this week, but Harvin would be a dynamite borderline WR1 in PPR formats down the stretch.

Quarterback/Running Back Quick Slants

The Vikings will continue to roll with Josh Freeman as their starting quarterback in Week 8 against the Packers. … The Browns still have yet to decide on a Week 8 starting quarterback. … NFL.com’s Mike Silver reports there’s a real possibility the Bears let Jay Cutler walk in free agency after the season. He’d be the biggest name to hit the free-agency quarterback market since Peyton Manning. … Sam Bradford (torn ACL) was officially placed on injured reserve. The Rams signed Brady Quinn and Austin Davis as their Nos. 2 and 3 quarterbacks behind Kellen Clemens. … Doug Martin said his shoulder injury isn’t necessarily season-ending, and his range of motion has improved. He’s out for Week 8 at the very least. The Bucs and Martin are likely seeking more opinions on the shoulder. … Arian Foster (hamstring) expects to be ready for Week 9. The Texans are on their bye and won’t practice again until next week. … Jonathan Stewart (ankles) said Week 9 is realistic for his return. He won’t play this Thursday against the Bucs. … Coach Tom Coughlin said he has “no idea” if Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) will be ready for Week 8. Peyton Hillis admitted to having “jello legs” in Monday night’s win. He wasn’t even working out a week ago as a street free agent. …Darren McFadden (hamstring) is practicing.

Wide Receiver/Tight End Quick Slants

Larry Fitzgerald is expected to be given a rest day in practice Wednesday. Coach Bruce Arians said Fitzgerald played at about 80 percent in last Thursday night’s loss to Seattle. The extra time off has, according to Arians, done Fitzgerald a ton of good. … Reggie Wayne (torn ACL) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. … Hakeem Nicks underwent X-rays on his finger following Monday night’s win. He appeared to jam it on a slant pass that he dropped. It’s a non-issue. … Mike Williams (hamstring) was downgraded to a limited practice on Tuesday after practicing in full Monday. His status for Thursday night is up in the air. … Fred Davis hinted he’d be open to a trade out of Washington. He was a healthy scratch in Week 7. … Dennis Pitta (hip, short-term I.R.) is not expected to return before mid-to-late November. He may not even return to the field in 2013 at all. … The Lions released Tony Scheffler. It was a long time coming.

Nick Mensio is a football writer for Rotoworld.com. The 2014 NFL season marks his third with Rotoworld. He can be found on Twitter at @NickMensio.Email :Nick Mensio